Oracle (Book I)

One Step Forward

Autumn blazed bold reds and oranges, yellows, browns, and greens across several acres of Onri's Forest. Scyer's Mountain sparkled in the morning light.

Bossa frowned at the view outside the window, rubbed her ear.

"Got any mountains around that village you're from?" she asked. She'd spent the last forty minutes trying to get Caprice to put her school things away and go meet Grace, Timika, and Azure at the waterfront. To no avail.

Caprice's eyes stayed glued intently on the page of the book in her lap, lips moving slowly and soundlessly. Her notes from her lessons were arranged around her like an impenetrable barrier protecting her in the pursuit of knowledge.

"There are mountains around the village but none like that." A giant mountain hewn of enchanted crystal wasn't something you forgot to note.

"I thought you liked it."

"No. You were right: It's distracting," Caprice muttered. "So I'm working on not looking at it." She flicked her hand and the curtains over the window railed shut blocking out the big sparkly lump of a distraction.

Bossa turned around, batting her eyelashes.

"Preecy, how about a little sip?"

"Not right now."

"Why not?"

"I'm busy."

Bossa stamped her foot. "You're becoming like Nezzle! Always with the books. Pay attention to me!"

Caprice thought to laugh but instead frowned down at her book, intent on the passage in front of her.

"Is something wrong, Preece?"

"Nothing. I just have to study."

"There's more to life than studying."

"I don't have anywhere else to go!" Caprice snapped. "I have to keep my marks up. I'm not like you. I'm new here. I have to prove I belong here." Doing everything else alongside her studies was almost more than she could handle. And there was something else...

Her plan to return to Shire Nyte Village.

Then again, what was the point of studying if there was a good chance she wouldn't be coming back? She supposed it was nice to do something simply because she wanted to. With the prospect of not returning alive a distinct possibility, she might as well do as much of that as she could.

"So let me do this, please," she said exhaustedly.

Bossa's head jerked back just the tiniest fraction and that sparkle in her eyes dulled.

"All right then. I'll leave you to it." She left without another word. Caprice wanted to go after her. Apologize. But something was about to happen and she had to let it.

Keeping the bile in her throat down, Caprice turned to the first page of her Magikorigyn notes. Haltingly, she read, "Ev-erry..thing con...tributes a piece to our know-ledge and under...standing of mah-gic's order...and the depths of its mystery...."

     Crawling pumpkin ivy and black belladonna blossoming deep-bright cerise flowers decoratively laced Oracle's walls and ceilings along the main corridors. Electric yellow screechers, vampire bats, and heaven gazers flittered overhead for the three days leading up to the yearly celebratory All-Hallows Eve feast. To Nezzle, it looked like a bunch of noisy bats fighting and almost getting tangled in her hair when they flew too low.

Reaching into the bag on her hip, Nezzle's fingers brushed The Boy and the End of Time and the untitled book Professor Volkorn had given her. She paused, thinking of her friends. Caprice was immersed in her studies. As inspirational as that was, Bossa moping around before a feast (or a party of any sort) because of it was enough to make even Nezzle think to interrupt that studying just a little for friendship's sake. Bossa was the life of the party and was herself ever more enlivened by the party. In her head, Nezzle turned over her options for making sure the two girls had fun tonight and nothing between them was broken too badly.

Someone passed in the corridor on her left, a flash of brilliant orange cloth, a rough scabbard, and tattooed hands. Nezzle stopped mid-stride, foot in the air. She smirked. About time, Zyall.

"Zyall," she called out. But the girl kept walking and disappeared down the next corridor.

With a shiver and a hard frown, Nezzle followed. Seeming still not to notice her, Zyall entered a vacant schoolroom. Nezzle drew Aureus from inside her robes, gripping the sequoia wand's smooth, comforting length.

"Zyall...?"

The darkened room's door was left ajar just the tiniest sliver. Inside, Earithean and a little pale boy waited. A ghostly light illuminated the dark between them but Nezzle could not see its source.

Stopping in front of them, Zyall twitched and jerked. The boy raised his hand and she stilled somewhat. Her bright eyes glazed over with a growing light.

"Finally caught up to you, wayward spirit," said the boy. "Did you think I wouldn't? That was quite a display you and the star shepherd put on in the Grand Hall. It will not happen again, is that understood. What were you doing roaming about the castle?" the boy asked.

Zyall started to shake but glared at him all the same without replying.

His eyes narrowed and he gave a small, sharp nod.

"You will not show yourself to them again."

Earithean stepped forward, her blank eyes glowing eerily.

"I realize that one of your kind is the only one who has any power over you so I shall have her bind you."

Zyall strained harder, as if she was bound by invisible ropes that were tightening with each passing moment, until she fell to her knees. The tattoos on her hands lit up and her palms slapped hard to the floor. She jerked back, tried to yank herself free, but her hands stayed stuck to the stone.

At the door, Nezzle heard a voice inside her.

"Miss Nyrvenna. Leave. Now."

She wasn't leaving Zyall in there. Nezzle turned around. Moved out into the corridor where there was more space for a confrontation.

The boy was there, smiling at her, eyes empty sockets full of white glow.

"Hallo. And goodbye."

Something slithered on the floor behind him in the hall in a twist of tangled limbs and blanched flesh. Its neck and spine undulated grotesquely. Its arms hung at its sides as it slid to its feet. It slunk forward in a sloppy ambling of its long legs.

"What is that thing?" Nezzle muttered.

It rushed at her in a weaving rush of uncoordinated feet. Behind the skin seamlessly sealing its mouth, it released a chorus of screams and screeches in one harrowing breath. Nezzle raised her wand, but the horrid sound froze her in place. She tamped down on her unease as she watched it close in.

Move. Fight. Protect yourself. You have to move...!

But she couldn't and it was too late.

The creature collided with her. The sensation of a rending inside her lasted only a second as her vision washed blank as piece of paper.

When Nezzle moved again, she was in the hall alone. The schoolroom behind her was empty and silent. She put her wand away.

Suddenly, she needed urgently to see if Bossa and Caprice were at the feast in the Grand Hall yet. Nezzle turned and made her way downstairs without a backward glance.